HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

In the capital city of demi-humans, humans were rare, but sightings of one or two here and there were not uncommon. This was because, a hundred years ago, the protector god of demi-humans—the Shield Hero—was human. As a result, humans were not entirely barred from the city.

However, the humans who ventured to the capital were primarily adventurers. Few others would come to such a place.

But...

Thanks to the efforts of those esteemed Heroes who came before, the demi-humans here wore truly adorable outfits.

Black stockings, white stockings, shorts, skirts, t-shirts, princess dresses...

The charming girls with animal ears strolling the streets were dressed in delightful attire, especially those with tails—

(≖⩊≖)

The tails beneath the skirts twitched occasionally, lifting the dresses and revealing the adorable underwear underneath.

Rozaliya and Liliya couldn't help but find it quite distracting.

Despite being girls for a long time, certain preferences aren't so easily changed—like the fondness for admiring girls.

Off to the side, Cellinia watched her twin companions, observing them continually staring at girls' skirts down the street. She found it puzzling.

Isn't this usually just a male thing?

And aren't you two more cute and pretty than those girls?

But then... these two seemingly powerful savior-like adults actually have a preference for girls...

Cellinia glanced at her own appearance; although a bit dirty for the moment, she remained confident in her looks. Gray long hair, slender legs... Even compared to the two adults next to her, she felt that with a bit of dressing up, she wouldn't fall short of them.

If these truly were the great Heroes, then... becoming their acolyte would mean my name would be recorded in history!

In a century, no more than ten heroes would emerge. Each one, along with their followers, would be forever recorded in the history books of every nation.

With this thought, Cellinia made her decision.

Even if they weren't officially recognized as Heroes, possessing such immense power, they were undoubtedly at least legendary-level adventurers.

As someone who couldn't even support herself, following them was her best chance at survival.

Moreover, since the two masters were not yet fully acquainted with this world, this was an opportune time for her to prove her value.

-

"Cellinia, is this statue of the Shield Hero? And who's the one with the scythe next to him?"

Liliya and her friends arrived at the heart of the royal capital. As they approached, Rozaliya and Liliya noticed two colossal statues standing at the center of a massive fountain, immediately piquing their curiosity...

One held a shield, while the other wielded a scythe.

"These two esteemed heroes once protected our sub people," Cellinia explained. "The one on the left is known as the Shield Hero. Records show that throughout history, there have been... seven such Shield Heroes. Each has safeguarded our people, earning them our eternal reverence."

But..." Cellinia continued, her tone turning noticeably sour, "I've never really been a fan of this 'Shield Hero' notion."

"Why's that?" Rozaliya asked.

"Because every Shield Hero took over ten demi-human wives! It's like they're all just perverts, no different from those human nobles with their twisted fascination for the sub races. They only 'protect' us because they're beastfolk fetishists. If any of them ever lost interest in us, we'd be abandoned without a doubt."

"Only demi-human heroes can truly be our protectors," Cellinia concluded firmly.

"Uhh..." Rozaliya and Liliana were left speechless by Cellinia's words.

But those Shield Heroes... Rozaliya mused, they sure do make me jealous, with all those lovely beastfolk wives to call their own.

"What about the other one?"

Liliya pointed at the scythe next.

"The scythe Hero is another who has protected demi-humans.

"About three hundred years ago, a Hero wielding a scythe appeared. She wore a maid outfit... with a large, blue-hued scythe in hand. In total, she defeated three evil dragons and confronted the Demon Lord four times, including three underground Demon Lords."

"She also protected the capital of the demi-human kingdom during a dragon attack."

"A maid outfit? A scythe?"

Liliya and Rozaliya exchanged glances, both thinking of a certain minor S-rank Valkyrie from an obscure Honkai world—Rita.

"Right. The other Heroes mainly lean towards the humans' side. Even when they do occasionally help us, it's very minimal.

"As a result, the human faction dominates now. But thankfully... humans have never truly united; despite having absolute power, they're divided into seven kingdoms, constantly at each other's throats.

"In contrast, while we demi-humans can't match up to humans, we are much more cohesive."

"I see... I understand now. Let's go to the library!"

Liliya pulled on Rozaliya, both indicating their comprehension.

Hearing this, a cute dimpled smile appeared at the corner of Cellinia's lips.

Upon entering the library, the twins realized it was a vast repository of knowledge...

Surely housing tens of thousands of books!

Just like in modern times, everyone inside the library maintained a quiet demeanor, absorbed in their reading.

Liliya and Rozaliya completed the necessary procedures—simply paying a deposit—and made their way to the section containing books about the world they found themselves in. They each picked up a volume and began to read.

Utilizing their ability to split their focus, Rozaliya and Liliya studied different books simultaneously, both absorbing the information into their minds at the same time.

-

The two continued this way until the library was about to close, when Liliya and Rozaliya finally set down their books.

Turning around, I saw Cellinia had also finished with her Hero novel.

"Lady Rozaliya, Lady Liliya, let's come back tomorrow! They're closing up soon."

"Hmm, Rozaliya, we've been reading for so long that Liliya here is getting hungry. Shouldn't we find someplace to eat and stay for the night?" Liliya said, rubbing her stomach at Rozaliya.

"Yes, Liliya, let's do that."

-

After leaving the library, Cellinia took the twins to a tavern where she booked two rooms. She then ordered a table full of food and they began to dine.

"Liliya, the current ruler of the Demi-human Kingdom is actually a Queen, and she's an cautus? How fascinating!" Liliya remarked with awe, recalling what she had read earlier that day.

"Eh? A donkey? What donkey? Is Lady Liliya referring to Queen Amiya? She's a rabbit! And... she's a very nice person, so please don't talk about her like that." Cellinia was taken aback by this comment, staring at Liliya in confusion before seriously reprimanding her...

"A rabbit? Not a donkey... my apologies! The illustrations in the book and on the posters showed ears similar to Yae Sakura's, so I mistakenly thought they belonged to a donkey. It's not 'Ami-donkey' after all..." Liliya hastily apologized upon hearing this explanation.

In the previous chapter, the illustrated ears of the Demi-human Queen resembled Yae Sakura's, except for the hair color.